New Dacia Duster vs used Skoda Enyaq EV: which family SUV is best?

The Dacia Duster has been one of the best-value SUVs you can buy since the first one launched back in 2013, and the latest one really moves the game on in terms of tech and quality.

It’s a fantastic car for families, however if you look at the used market you can find a super-comfy and practical electric SUV for the same money – the Skoda Enyaq.

The Duster starts from just under £19,000, however you’ll want to step up to the mid-spec Expression model to get the more powerful engine and some desirable added tech. This will set you back £21,245, and that sort of cash will get you a 2022 rear-wheel drive Enyaq with low miles. So which should you buy? Well we’re going to find out by comparing the key stats.

New Dacia Duster vs used Skoda Enyaq: engines, motors and running costs

Let’s start with the most obvious difference between these two cars: what’s powering them.

Assuming you’ve sprung for the mid-spec Dacia Duster with the more powerful engine, you’ll have a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol with 130hp and a six-speed manual gearbox. It’ll do 0-60mph in 9.9 seconds, and the top speed is 112mph.

For similar money you’ll be looking at the rear-wheel drive version of the Enyaq with a single electric motor. It puts out 179hp, which will launch this heavy car from 0-60mph in 8.7 seconds – and it’ll go on to a top speed of 99mph.

These cars aren’t about power and 0-60mph times though, you’ll be more interested in the running costs. The Duster’s 1.2-litre engine will return around 50mpg. Let’s say you cover 8,000 miles per year; at an average of 50mpg it’ll cost you £977.16 in fuel for the year based on the UK’s average petrol price of 134.34 pence per litre.

Working out the Skoda’s electricity cost is a bit more complicated, because it’ll depend on whether you have access to home charging or not. The average cost of charging an EV at home in the UK is around 33 pence per kWh, so an Enyaq with the 62 kWh battery will cost you around 8.2 pence per mile in electricity at this rate.

That works out to around £650 per year to cover the same 8,000 miles, and you need to bear in mind that you can get home charging much cheaper if you shop around. Some providers offer prices as low as seven pence per kWh, bringing the yearly fuel cost down to just £140.

So if you have access to charging at home, you could save a fortune in fuel by going electric. But what if you live in a flat, or just don’t have any way of charging at home? Well, relying on public charging will be quite a lot more expensive.

The average cost of public fast charging in the UK is 80 pence per kWh, so your 8,000 miles will cost a whopping £1,600 a year – and you’ll have to sit around in car parks for hours while you charge up.

The slower AC chargers you’ll find in lampposts or at the side of the road are a bit cheaper at 57 pence per kWh on average, but that still works out at almost £1,200 per year in electricity.

To sum up, if you have access to home charging then an EV will be a lot cheaper to run, but if you have to rely on public charge points the Duster will be a better bet.

New Dacia Duster vs used Skoda Enyaq: interior, practicality and tech

It’s when you step inside that the Skoda starts to seem more appealing than the Duster, because it has a lovely cabin. All the materials are nice and plush, and it’s all really well screwed together.

The Dacia does feel solid inside, but being a budget SUV there are a lot of scratchy plastics. It does claw back some points by being logically laid out and easy to use, with physical climate control buttons being a welcome addition over the Skoda’s fiddly touch slider affair.

All Enyaqs come with a massive 13.0-inch touchscreen which is bright and easy to use, and you get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You have to go for the mid-spec Duster to get a screen at all, and then it’s a 10.1-inch unit. It still has wireless phone mirroring, but it’s not as slick as the Skoda’s system.

The Enyaq is the more practical choice as well. It has acres of rear legroom, loads of interior storage and the boot is 113 litres bigger than the Duster’s at 585 litres. The Dacia does have an ace up its sleeve though in the form of its clever YouClip system, which allows you to mount a range of useful accessories around the cabin such as lights and additional storage pods.

New Dacia Duster vs used Skoda Enyaq: driving and comfort

For driving in town, it’s hard to beat an electric car. You get instant and smooth acceleration from the motors, and it’s relaxing to waft along in traffic with no noisy engine chugging away under the bonnet.

The Enyaq is also one of the most comfortable EVs on the market. It soaks up bumps in the road, and you get excellent all-round visibility to make parking easier. A reversing camera also comes as standard, something you don’t get on the Duster unless you go for the mid-spec version.

The Dacia is still a very good town car, even though for this money you’ll have a manual gearbox. The steering is light, it’s easy to manoeuvre and it’s still reasonably comfortable, if not quite as smooth as the Skoda.

If you spend a lot of time doing long-distance drives, the Duster may be a more suitable fit for you. The Enyaq is very comfortable on the motorway, but an internal combustion engine is more convenient for regular cross-country slogs because you can just fill up and go. Public fast chargers are pretty pricey and you’ll be sitting around while you wait to top up.

You can also get the Duster with four-wheel drive for a small added cost, while a dual-motor Enyaq will set you back a pretty penny over the rear-wheel drive model. If you need to venture off the beaten track, you could be better off with a Duster.

New Dacia Duster vs used Skoda Enyaq: conclusion

So which of these cars is best? Well it’ll depend a lot on your personal scenario but the Enyaq is a better car overall. It feels more premium, it’s more practical and it’s a super comfy cruiser, but you need to have access to home charging to get the added cost-saving benefits which an EV offers.

Buying a new Duster also means you get a three-year warranty, something which will be very close to running out on a 2022 Enyaq. You may also just prefer the satisfaction of owning a brand new car.

The Duster is one of our favourite new cars here at Carwow thanks to the excellent value for money it offers, but if you’re after a proper bargain then maybe a used car could be for you. The Enyaq isn’t the only used alternative to the Duster. You could have something like a Volkswagen Tiguan if you want a premium petrol-powered SUV, while the Peugeot E-2008 is a great choice if you’re after a stylish electric car.

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